Vandy's spring

[Eckwood43]

This Vandy team is experienced with 23 returning starters but there's some major drop off after that with little depth.

I like Cutler.....the guy has some talent and they have a pretty good O-line built around Geisinger, Brent and Kovolivski or however the hell he spells that. I think this is a make or break year for Johnson because they really have to beat Miss. State and SC at home and Kentucky on the road to get a six-win season.

Johnson is 4-20 in two seasons but this team can be 4-3 after seven games if they can get off to a good start and beat South Carolina at home in the opener.

Doster was kind of disappointing last season and McKenzie may get even more carries this year but Cutler should get close to the 3,000-yard mark if the running game holds up. He's got some real underrated receivers in Erik Davis and Brandon Smith, who are both back and he's been hooking up more with TE Dustin Dunning in the spring. This team has some weapons but defensively they have to get some strength in the middle to stop anyone in the league.

Still, I think they have 10 starters back on O and 11 guys with starting experience on defense. Depth is gonna be a key factor, especially late in the season like for that Kentucky game.

[Eckwood43]

Defense has some bright young spots with youth. Johnson awarded gold jerseys to a pair of redshirt freshmen, Jonathan Goff and center Chris Williams. Goff and Williams have been just two of several redshirt freshman and underclassmen who are pushing for more playing time with excellent spring performances.

Vandy spring scrimmage

Head Coach Bobby Johnson put the Commodores through an intense, 40-play scrimmage Tuesday evening in the John Rich Practice Facility, just days after having to cancel the Black and Gold Scrimmage after one series due to severe thunderstorms.

Johnson liked what he saw from his squad, especially some of the younger Commodores, during the seven-drive scrimmage that came at the end of a 2-hour, 15-minute session.

“I thought our guys were getting after it pretty good. I was pleased with the intensity, energy and focus,” Johnson said. “We also limited the time for some of our veterans to get a good look at a lot of the younger guys on this team.”

Johnson expects to put the Commodores through two more sessions this week before ending spring drills. The team’s next practice is Wednesday afternoon at the Rich Practice Facility.

Tuesday Scrimmage Recap

The defense began Tuesday’s scrimmage smarting from the lone possession conducted Saturday that resulted in a 70-yard touchdown drive, capped by tailback Norval McKenzie’s three-yard run.

The defense, led by defensive end Jovan Haye (Jr., Fort Lauderdale, Fla.), defensive tackle Robert Dinwiddie (Sr., Hendersonville, Tenn.), linebacker Moses Osemwegie (Jr., Nashville, Tenn.) and cornerback Bill Alford (Sr., Brunswick, Ga.), controlled the first three possessions Tuesday, limiting their counterparts to one first down.

Quarterback Steven Bright (So., Greer, S.C.) started getting the offense untracked in the fourth series. Bright hit wide receivers Chris Young (Sr., Batesville, Miss.) and Marlon White (So., Macon, Ga.) for first-down receptions, then watched tailback Kwane Doster (Sr., Wallingford, Pa.) slowed the possession with tackles-for-loss on consecutive plays. The drive ended with an incomplete pass in the endzone.

The offense had more success in the next drive. Wide receiver Lorenzo Parker (Sr., Farmington Hills, Mich.) rambled 35 yards with a short reception from Bright. Two plays later, Bright connected with wide receiver J.T. Simms (Jr., Bourne, Mass.) for a 30-yard touchdown.

Quarterback Jay Cutler (Jr., Santa Claus, Ind.) directed a 30-yard touchdown drive on the following possession. Cutler hit tight end Dustin Dunning (Jr., Hoover, Ala.) for seven yards and Parker for four yards, then moved the ball to the 10-yard line on a keeper off right tackle. Following a pair of carries by Doster, Cutler found Dunning for a touchdown.

The defense closed the practice with quick stops in the final two possessions, including a final-play quarterback sack by Carter.

Other defenders making solid hits during the session were safety Kelechi Ohanaja (Jr., Arlington, Texas), linebacker Funtaine Hunter (So., Lowndes, Ga.), defensive tackle Trey Holloway (Jr., Edmond, Okla.) and defensive end Richard Freeman (So., Brentwood, Tenn.).

Successful Surgeries
Two Commodores injured earlier this spring - defensive end Chris Booker (Jr., Brandon, Miss.) and wide receiver Jason Caldwell (Jr., Hoover, Ala.) - underwent successful knee surgeries in recent days at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Dr. Kurt Spindler and Dr. Jed Kuhn, team physicans for the Commodores, performed the procedures on Booker and Caldwell, respectively.

A third player, offensive lineman Adam Dossett (Jr., McComb, Miss.) is expected to undergo surgery today at VUMC to repair a knee injury. Spindler will perform the procedure.